Homemade Mint Jelly Food

MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Blend mint and the water in the jar of a blender until mint is finely chopped. Transfer to a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let steep 45 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into bowl; reserve liquid (1 3/4 to 2 cups). Discard mint.
• Return liquid to saucepan; add lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Add pectin, and return to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in food coloring. Skim surface. Transfer to a large container; let cool completely. Cover; let chill overnight. Transfer to a serving dish, or store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Crush mint leaves (I did a rough chop). Add water. Bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Strain and measure 3 cups of mint infusion.
• Add food coloring and lemon juice. Add Sure-Jell, dissolve and bring to a rapid boil.
• Add sugar. Cook fast, stirring occasionally until it comes to a rapid boil that cannot be stirred down, then cook 1 minute more.
• Pour into sterilized jelly glasses and seal. I processed in the steam canner for 10 minutes to insure a good seal.

FESTIVE MINT JELLY

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring water and mint to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Strain, reserving 3-1/3 cups liquid (discard remaining liquid)., In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, lemon juice, food coloring and reserved liquid. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1 minute. Add pectin; return to a boil. Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes., Skim off foam. Ladle hot liquid into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. Place jars in canner with simmering water ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

MINT JELLY

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, bring mint and water to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour though a fine sieve, reserving mint liquid. Discard leaves. , Return liquid to pan. Add the sugar, vinegar and butter; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Quickly add contents of both pectin pouches; bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Add food coloring. , Carefully ladle into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. head space. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner. , Or, cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and let stand overnight or until set, but not longer than 24 hours. Refrigerate or freeze. (Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 12 months.)

HOMEMADE MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Put mint leaves in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for 1 hour, pressing juice from the leaves every so often. Remove leaves.
• In a large kettle over medium heat, combine apple juice and mint extract. Bring to a boil, then add sugar. Continue to boil until mixture reaches 221 degrees on a candy thermometer or falls in sheets from a spoon, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Remove from heat and discard mint leaves, if added. Add a few drops of green food coloring, if desired. Skim off and discard any foam. Carefully ladle jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe excess jelly from inside and outside rims, then seal.

MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Rinse off the mint leaves, and place them into a large saucepan. Crush with a potato masher or the bottom of a jar or glass. Add water, and bring the mint to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain, and measure out 1 2/3 cups of the mint.
• Place 1 2/3 cups mint into a saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice and food coloring. Mix in the sugar, and place the pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is boiling, stir in the pectin. Boil the mixture for a full minute while stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim foam off the top using a large metal spoon. Transfer the mixture to hot sterile jars, and seal.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.

SURE.JELL® MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.
• Wash mint leaves and stems. Finely chop or crush mint. Place in large saucepan; add water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 min. Place three layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared infusion into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed, hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 4 cups strained infusion into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. (If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup water for exact measure.) Stir in food coloring.
• Stir pectin into infusion in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

JALAPENO MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/2 cups mint and water to a boil in a small saucepan. When I am in a hurry I do not "finely" chop the mint at this point. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes to steep. Strain through a lined sieve pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible; discard mint.
• Combine mint liquid, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and peppers in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat and boil hard for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pectin and remaining finely chopped mint.
• Ladle into sterilized jars and process in water bath for 5 minutes or pour into jars and invert for 5 minutes. Turn back and you should hear the seals pop close.

APPLE JUICE MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Wash mint and mince finely; add 2 tablespoons sugar and water and let stand for several hours or overnight.
• Bring to boiling point; strain.
• Combine remaining sugar and apple juice.
• Cook for 20 minutes or until mixture reaches 220F on a candy thermometer (at sea level; reduce by two degrees for every 1000 feet in elevation).
• Add food coloring and mint juice.
• Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal; process in boiling water bath for ten minutes.
• **Variation-Use spearmint flavoring for apple jelly, if you don't have fresh mint.